A Brief Book Notice from Books At a Glance
Table of Contents
Part 1: The Holy Spirit and the Trinity
1. The Road to Constantinople
2. Consolidation and Controversy
3. From Anselm to Barth
4. Basic Axioms
Part 2: The Holy Spirit in the Bible
5. The Old Testament
6. The Life and Ministry of Jesus
7. Resurrection, Ascension, and Pentecost
8. The Apostolic Ministry
9. New Testament Gifts
10. The Future
11. Discerning the Spirit’s Redemptive Work
Appendix: Pentecostalism and the Charismatic Renewal
Selected Quotes
- In order to appreciate the presence and work of the Holy Spirit today, we need to ask how this has been seen over the past two thousand years of the church’s existence. (3)
- The real significance in Augustine’s ideas on the internal relations of the Trinitarian persons is their impact on the following centuries and the eventual emergence of the filioque clause in the Latin church. We will discuss this question shortly. (36)
- The one holy, catholic, and apostolic church acknowledges that the Father Almighty is the Creator of heaven and earth, that Jesus Christ is the one by whom all things were made, and that the Holy Spirit is the author and giver of life. In short, all three persons work together inseparably according to their distinct hypostatic particularities. (85)
- The word ruach means “spirit,” “wind,” or “breath,” depending on context. It occurs 387 times in the Old Testament, with three broad meanings in generally equal numbers: (1) wind or breath, (2) a force that unifies humans, (3) the life of God. (103)
- The Old Testament looks forward to the coming of Yahweh to deliver his people definitively in the future, in the day of the Lord. At that time the Spirit of God will be poured out on the Anointed One, the Messiah, who will receive the Spirit permanently. (118)
- The Holy Spirit is mentioned more times by Paul alone than in the entire Old Testament. The New Testament, while never explicitly calling the Holy Spirit God, ascribes to him divine characteristics. (121)
- Perhaps the most far-reaching treatment of the Holy Spirit’s work that we find in the Bible is Paul’s discussions of the resurrection body. In the first instance, this refers to the resurrection body of Christ, but it also has a direct bearing on our own resurrection. This is because Christ’s resurrection and ours are one reality (1 Cor. 15:12–19) due to his union with us and ours with him. Since we are united to Christ, we share in his resurrection. (250)
- The Spirit speaks in and through the Word he has authored. That is where he is primarily at work redemptively. In that Word he attests that the salvation of the sinner is found exclusively in Jesus Christ, and that the same Christ is the one who will reconstitute and renew the entire created order at his parousia. (257)
Endorsements
- Sinclair Ferguson
Professor Bob Letham is too good a theologian and too sensible a Christian to think that even with his award-winning work on The Trinity and the publication of his Systematic Theology, he had spoken the last word about God. His new commitment to produce a trilogy of volumes on the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is therefore welcome news indeed. Fittingly, this down-payment volume deals with the person and work of the Holy Spirit. It exhibits all the hallmarks that we have come to expect of its author–a rich combination of biblical, historical, and systematic theology coupled with shrewd analysis and insight, all placed in tribute to the triune Lord. If we may reapply Paul’s famous words, those “who have the firstfruits of the Spirit” will surely “wait eagerly” for Dr. Letham to complete his theological triptych.
- Richard Gaffin
This book continues the high-quality contributions on major theological topics we have come to expect from Dr. Letham. One need not agree at every point to greatly benefit from this sound and, in view of persisting controversies, balanced treatment of the person and work of the Holy Spirit. All told, an impressive accomplishment. - Joel Beeke
This book is a gold mine of scholarship concerning the blessed third person of the Trinity. Robert Letham digs deeply into the classic doctrine of the Holy Spirit as it developed from the early church to the medieval period and beyond, extracting riches for students of classic Christian doctrine. Furthermore, he discusses the refined interpretations of modern biblical commentators on the progressive revelation of God’s Spirit through redemptive history, a profitable study in biblical theology. It is a rare scholar who can write well in both historical and biblical theology, and Letham is eminently qualified to do so.